2021 Acura TLX Review_ Bigger, Bolder, and... Better_ _ CarGurus

In 1986, Americans started to wear Dockers khakis and watch Oprah Winfrey. This was one year after Nintendo gave us the first NES console, and Japan, well, they were not done. The 1986 Yamaha WaveRunner and Acura, the first luxury car brand from Japan, starting with the 1986 Integra and the Legend. Because Honda was behind it, Acura looked at car parts that other car companies didn't care about and made them better. The first aluminum frame on a production car, the NSX. Variable valve timing. Mechanical torque vectoring. One of the first all-wheel drive hybrids with an electric axle. And now, Acura has made it here with the 2021 TLX. Acura sedans, they've been disappointing over the last three to five years. Next to most Honda sedans, they've used dated equipment and inferior technology and charged a whole lot more for them. The new TLX still uses the Accord's powertrain, and it's built on the same assembly line in Ohio, but everything else has been designed specifically by Acura. This may be the very car that Acura needs to get back to where it was. But the question is, is this a car that you want? That's a $50,000 question. Let's start with the exterior. I'll criticize one element, the small cutout for these rear doors. They're narrower than the Type S concept. That's how Acura previewed the TLX in 2019, and I think it just needs an inch more. But Acura did add some more inches. Compared to the old TLX, the wheelbase stretches almost four more inches. The body is three inches longer, two inches wider, and a half inch lower. All good things. Wider is better. That's what Pontiac said about the Grand Prix in the 1990s. Acura doesn't say it about the TLX, but that's really the phrase here. Everything is more substantial about this car. You just feel that width. It's more imposing. It's more substantial of a car. That's what makes a smaller car look a lot bigger, especially with this big imposing grill. It's a good size, good proportion, eight individual LEDs, and two other nice details I like down below. These side vents that direct air into the wheel wells for better brake cooling and airflow, and parking sensors that are integrated into the black portions of the car, not the paint. Because you see on a lot of new cars, there's dimples all over the place. Well, Acura doesn't do that. This is a really nice shape overall, but come spring 2021, it's going to look really great because that's when the TLX Type S comes out. It's going to have a big, big beach bod. Five things to know. The TLX has an all new chassis developed specifically for Acura. It's stiffer and stronger. The front suspension uses a double wishbone aluminum construction. That's just like in sports cars. The turbo inline four makes more power than the Honda Accord, and soon there'll be a turbo V6 that's exclusive to Acura. There are speakers on the roof. There are 27 colors for the ambient lighting, and they all have names. This one's called Wall Street. The TLX is a driver's car. That's how Acura positions it. A premium sports sedan. So let's put that claim to bed. Acceleration is awesome with this turbo four, 272 horsepower and 280 pound feet of torque. It feels gutsier than the three and a half liter V6 from the old TLX. There's also a lot more gears. There's 10 speeds in this thing. That sounds pretty crazy, but that means you never have a gap in power. It just goes. It's quick. It really is, and it doesn't let go. I mean, mid range is great. When you're up at the higher speeds, it's great. Honda and Acura make some of the best turbo fours in the business. The only one that I could say is better is BMW. Smoothness. It's quiet. It sounds good. It pulls. What else can you say? You won't want a V6 when you have an engine this good, but some of you will want the V6. Some of you are people like me who want the TLX type S. That's got a three liter twin turbo V6 with 355 horsepower, 354 pound feet of torque. That's unique to Acura. It's not any other Honda model. I think it's going to be pretty good. Same transmission, same all wheel drive. This is super handling all wheel drive. That's Acura's term for torque vectoring. It's actually mechanical torque vectoring that's shifting the torque to either side of the wheels without using brakes. Acura has been doing that since the mid 2000s, so it's a really good system. And on this car, you can feel it working. You also feel the suspension. It's a forged double wishbone setup in the front, five link multi-link in the back. That's nothing like the Accord. This is also on its own chassis. So all these things combined kind of really make the car feel very substantial. You get that really quiet feel. It's unperturbed over any sort of bumps. But in reality, even with the all wheel drive and the adaptive dampers on this car, it doesn't drive that much differently than the Accord 2.0. And that's not a pot shot. The Accord is just a really, really good car dynamically. So the TLX, specifically this one, doesn't really have the same level of excitement that you're seeing on all the commercials where the car's dancing all over the place. The Type S should be doing that. And this chassis is definitely willing, but it's tuned to the softer side of things. I would like a little bit more from it. Other cars like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, they feel a little bit more planted. They're firmer. I would like this TLX to feel that way. But overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I'm also happy with the brakes. They're electric by wire, and they're derived specifically from the NSX supercar. And when you get on them, the pedal feel is really well modulated, firm, but also not too firm. When you come down to a stop, it feels really natural. Brake by wire systems did not always feel this good. So good job, Acura. It doesn't look like a Honda Accord inside, and the Honda Accord is really nice, but the TLX feels special, and it borrows some cues from the Acura NSX. The dash is curvaceous, low and wide, with this big silver dial for the driving modes front and center. This gorgeous matte wood curves to the aluminum trim and LED lighting. It's one seamless blend. I like this dark metal. It's nice and cold to the touch. Really good sound, too. The two-tone leatherette on the dash and also on the palm rest. There's soft, rich leather on the doors and intricate patterns on the seats. They can extend the thigh cushion and tighten the side bolsters. There's 27 ambient lighting choices that can change with the driving mode. It looks unique, and it justifies the price of this car. A-plus job, Acura. As you can see, there's not much rear legroom. Headroom, however, is good. Part of that is because the TLX doesn't have a panoramic moonroof, but what it does have are speakers. One, two, three, four on the roof, 17 in total. Trunk space is 13.5 cubic feet. Pretty good. Acura made its own infotainment system that came out on the 2019 RDX. Initially, we hated it. Now, we can live with it. This is not a touchscreen. Everything is controlled by a touchpad that mimics the split layout of the screen. This side controls the main portion. This little bar lets you swipe between nav, audio, and phone calls on the right side, or quickly bring that info to the left side. It's not like Lexus, so there's no cursor. Where your finger lands corresponds to the selection on screen. It takes practice, but ultimately, it's not that distracting, and it's quick. I don't wear eyeglasses, but some of the typefaces here are just too small. Come on, man. But the screen is limited in customization, and there's no digital instrument panel. The head-up display makes up for that. There are five visual modes that can show driver assist, track lists on your phone, your phone calls, directions, all accessed from the steering wheel. There are speakers on the roof you can adjust separately, including behind these handle sound. The 2021 TLX starts at $37,500. Don't order that one. My car is $49,825 with destination because it has the advanced and technology packages, plus all-wheel drive. Those give you the upgraded interior, leather, and obviously, more tech. But lots of luxury comes standard, as do all driver assists, and they're good at centering the car on highways. Value? You bet. I like what Acura's done. The TLX feels a lot more upscale than a Lexus IS or a Cadillac CT5. Its powertrain gets close to BMW. It looks and feels unique and expensive. Acura sedans have been pretty dated and old for a while, so go out and test drive one. I promise, you'll be excited. But don't expect this TLX to be sporty. Not all the way. You'll have to wait for our review of the TLX Type S. For full details, check out CarGurus.com and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.